Pathfinder WOTR Dance of Masks: Magic Deceiver Archetype guide

The Magic Deceiver may be one of the coolest new Archetypes in A Dance of Masks DLC for Pathfinder WOTR, and this guide will cover everything you need to know about how this Arcanist Archetype works, alongside how to use Magic Fusion to create your own spells.

Magic Deceiver Archetype guide for Pathfinder WOTR Dance of Masks

The Magic Deceiver Archetype for the Arcanist class has the unique ability to use Magic Fusion, which allows you to fuse two spells into one and create a spellbook of created spells. There are also six different Ways of the Deceiver that can grant you abilities to fool enemies and manipulate magic. This guide to the Magic Deceiver Archetype will dive into the different Ways of the Deceiver, the best Magic Fusion spells, and how all your abilities work.

• Main stat: Charisma
• High saves: Will
• Class skills: Knowledge (Arcana), Knowledge (World), Lore (Religion), Lore (Nature), Use Magic Device
• Proficiencies: All Simple Weapons.

Magic Deceiver: All Ways of the Deceiver abilities

At Level 1, every Magic Deceiver can choose one of six Ways of the Deceiver. Let’s review each ability for all Ways of the Deceiver so you know which is right for you.

Fake Celebrity

You impersonate a celebrity — a famous actor or performer. You have learned a selection of their greatest pieces, which you can only use to weaken your enemies instead of empowering your allies.

Living Deity

You were born with a mystical gift and you use it for your own benefit. Following in the footsteps of Razmir, you have proclaimed yourself a living god to the foolish and gullible masses, spreading all manner of rumors about your alleged divinity.

Magic Inventor

An avid experimenter, you have a way with magical items and carry with you an impressive collection to ensure that you always have the tools to dupe the odds.

Razmiri Infiltrator

As a trusted follower of Razmir, you infiltrate communities and undermine regimes, making it easier for your divine master to seize control of these territories whenever he sees fit to do so.

Time Manipulator

You exploit rare forms of magic to make time itself fall for your deceptions.

Way of the Charlatan

You make the most of your ability to bend the laws of magic.

All of these Ways of the Deceiver are special in their own ways, but the best ones have to be Time Manipulator and Razmiri Infiltrator. With Time Manipulator, you can restore your ally’s spell slots and abilities as if you took them back to when they completed a full rest. Razmiri Infiltrator grants you numerous abilities with the Razmiri Mask itself, and at level 20 you can roll to counter a spell.

Magic Fusion guide: Best spells and how to use

At 1st level, Magic Deceivers can create fused spells by combining the effects of two regular spells from their spellbook. While they may sound overpowered, you don’t receive bonus spells from ability scores and you can’t add spells from other classes’ spell lists to your spellbook. Here are some rules when it comes to Magic Fusion:

• Only fuse two spells together.
• Name your spell.
• Only hold a maximum of 10 fused spells in your spellbook.
• Fused spells gain descriptors and effects of initial spells.
• Their spell level equals the highest level of initial spells.
• Always cast as a standard action.
• Cannot modify with metamagic.

After choosing a name for your new fused spell, you have the option to choose the school of magic, the spell shape, or which save is required if both spells have differences in these qualities. This gives you a lot of versatility when it comes to what type of spell you’re looking for.

If the spell effects have limits on the maximum number of damage dice, the fused spell will instead follow these limits:

• Level 1: max 5 damage dice.
• Level 2: max 7 damage dice.
• Level 3: max 10 damage dice.
• Level 4: max 15 damage dice.
• Level 5: max 20 damage dice.
• Level 6: unlimited number of damage dice.

Best Magic Fusion spell combinations

With how many options there are available to you, it’s hard to say what fusion spells are best. You could combine any two spells and they’d inevitably be even more powerful than casting those spells on their own. After testing these destructive spells out in combat, here are my ten favorite Magic Fusion spell combinations.

When choosing the right fusion spells, it’s good to think about what two types of spells would make the most sense together. It may be useless to combine two spells that are too similar to each other in terms of damage type and other effects. I tried to make combinations that would double the damage or hinder enemies with multiple debuffs at one time.

For example, my incredibly named fusion spell Laughing Gas mixes Haunting Mists (attacks made in mist contend against total concealment and all creatures make a saving throw to not be shaken for 1d4 rounds) and Hideous Laughter (forces enemies to be prone and cannot take actions). While the Haunting Mists force concealment on everyone, it can also make them become shaken for a -2 on certain rolls and Hideous Laughter forces them to become prone in the mist, hindering their ability to flee from the area.

If you’re looking for all-powerful fusion spells, look no further than “Explosive Deformation” which mixes Excruciating Deformation (target takes 2d6 direct damage each round until they can resist the spell) and Explosive Runes (6d6 force damage). This spell would be for enemies with a ton of health, and it would deal instant damage alongside damage over time.

It’s important to keep in mind that if you have a strong spell that only deals damage to a single target, mix it with another spell that has the Cone or Burst shape. That way, you can make your powerful spell affect numerous enemies at one time instead of just one. These are just a few ideas on the spells you can create, but try them out for yourself in your own game to see what creates the best effects in combat.

All Magic Deceiver cantrips and spells in Pathfinder WOTR Dance of Masks

From Levels 1 to 20, your Magic Deceiver will slowly unlock the ability to cast spells at different spell levels. If you’re curious about which spells Magic Deceiver Arcanists gain access to, here’s a full list.

Hopefully, you now know a lot more about the Magic Deceiver Archetype from Pathfinder WOTR A Dance of Masks than you did before reading this guide. Speaking of A Dance of Masks, you can try out the Magic Deceiver fusion spells in the Echo of Fury arena.